A variety of approaches have been developed to condition the hair. A common method of providing conditioning benefit is through the use of conditioning agents such as cationic surfactants and polymers, high melting point fatty compounds, low melting point oils, silicone compounds, and mixtures thereof. Most of these conditioning agents are known to provide various conditioning benefits. For example, some cationic surfactants, when used together with some high melting point fatty compounds and aqueous carrier, are believed to provide a gel matrix which is suitable for providing a variety of conditioning benefits such as slippery feel during the application to wet hair and softness and moisturized feel on dry hair.
For example, WO 2006/044209 discloses a hair conditioning composition comprising by weight: (a) from about 0.1% to about 10% of a cationic surfactant; (b) from about 2.5% to about 15% by weight of the composition of a high melting point fatty compound; and (c) and an aqueous carrier; wherein the cationic surfactant, the high melting point fatty compound, and the aqueous carrier form a lamellar gel matrix; wherein the d-spacing of the lamellar layers is in the range of 33 nm or less; and wherein the composition has a yield stress of about 30 Pa or more at 26.7° C. This hair conditioning compositions are said to provide improved conditioning benefits, especially improved slippery feel during the application to wet hair. WO 2006/044209 also describes that; preferably, the composition of the present invention comprises, by weight of the hair care composition, from about 60% to about 99% of a gel matrix including lamellar gel matrix. WO 2006/044209 also describes that; in highly preferred composition, the DSC profile shows a single peak having a peak top temperature of about 67° C. to about 73° C., at about 8 mJ/mg, and no peaks larger than 2 mJ/mg from 40° C. to about 65° C. as the peaks showing at a temperature of from 40° C. to 55° C. mean the existence of high melting fatty compounds and/or cationic surfactants which are not incorporated into the gel matrix.
However, there remains a need for hair conditioning compositions which provide improved conditioning benefits, especially, improved wet conditioning benefits after rinsing and improved dry conditioning, while maintaining wet conditioning benefit before rinsing. Such wet conditioning benefits after rinsing include, for example, reduced friction of wet hair after rinsing and/or easiness to comb wet hair after rinsing.
Additionally, there may exist a need for hair conditioning compositions which provide an improved product appearance, i.e., richer, thicker, and/or more concentrated product appearance, and which consumer may feel higher conditioning benefits from its appearance.
Based on the foregoing, there remains a need for conditioning compositions which provide improved conditioning benefits, especially, improved wet conditioning benefits after rinsing and improved dry conditioning, while maintaining wet conditioning benefit before rinsing. Additionally, there may exist a need for conditioning compositions which provide an improved product appearance.
None of the existing art provides all of the advantages and benefits of the present invention.